


No Other Love (Can Take Me There)

by Night_Hawk94



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017), bughead - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, Fluffyfest, Hurt/Comfort, Jughead can’t sleep so Betty helps him, Love, Love Confessions, One Shot, Slow Dancing, True Love, ex-Serpent Jughead, supportive betty, this turned out to be a little more angsty than intended
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-23
Updated: 2019-02-23
Packaged: 2019-11-04 14:23:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17899799
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Night_Hawk94/pseuds/Night_Hawk94
Summary: When Betty wakes up in the middle of the night and finds the other side of the bed cold and barely slept in, she doesn’t panic like anyone else probably would, because she knows that her beloved boyfriend has trouble sleeping most nights.She doesn’t have to go far to find him or do much to chase the bad memories away and convince him to come back to bed. A song, a dance, her undying love for him and the small moments they share.That’s all it takes.





	No Other Love (Can Take Me There)

**Author's Note:**

> So this was just a little oneshot I decided to write for no reason whatsoever!! 
> 
> I hope you enjoy it and please forgive me for any mistakes I’ve made!! :) Xx

“Let _me help you. Let me wrap you up in my arms and chase all those monsters away. Maybe not forever, my love, but just for a little while.” - Unknown._

 

 

It was well past midnight when Betty stirred from slumber. 

 

She sat up slowly and rubbed the sleep from her eyes, letting them adjust until she could just make out the faint shapes and lines of the room around her. Despite the warm confines of her bed and thick duvet she had covering her, Betty felt unusually cold. Prompted by the thought she glanced at the other side of the bed - at his side of the bed - and immediately got her answer why.

 

This wasn’t uncommon for her, waking up in the middle of the night only to find her boyfriend’s side of the bed empty and barely slept in. After three years of living together and a further four of being together, she was used to it, well aware that he suffered from bad memories or dreams on a semi-regular basis. They were the kind of thoughts that made him scared to fall asleep in the first place and a lot of them had been borne from his time spent in his fathers greaser gang back when they were teenagers.

 

The Southside Serpents had been a massive part of his life at one point. For years they were there, trying to shape and mold him into something that he didn’t want to be. A petty theft or a drug dealer or an enforcer for the gang, and if he resisted in any way, shape or form, they would put him back in his place through violence or verbal threats. Sometimes both.

 

He didn’t like to talk about it with anyone and even though they had been together for a number of years now, he wasn’t very forthcoming when it came to the details. Even with her. Of course, he had told her things before and she had even seen some of them with her own eyes on those night when he had come to her, seeking the love and safety only she could give him.

 

Normally Betty wouldn’t even panic in a situation like this, but when she reached out and touched his half of the mattress, her heart clenched with more worry than usual when she felt how cold it was.

 

“Tonight must be a particularly bad night,” she thought grimly, pulling back the covers and slipping out of bed, heading off to go and find him.

 

Their apartment was quiet for the most part, the lack of noise only amplifying the distinct, but soothing sound of the rain falling against the window panes outside. She didn’t have to go far to find him. On nights like these when sleep alluded him he would usually retreat to a quiet place and try to distract himself, always searching for something else to consume his troublesome thoughts for a while. Something good.

 

Tonight he had chosen the couch in the living room as his safe place and his old, worn out copy of Great Expectations as his diversion.

 

He was dressed for bed. Still bare chested and in his boxers, his thick strands of black hair a little messy from the small amount of sleep he’d managed to get before he was disturbed. Some candles were burning on the coffee table in the center of the room and a few more on the shelves in the room as well, easily filling up the cozy space they had created together when they’d moved in with a warm glow. Betty smiled at that. He was still the only person she knew who actually liked to read by candlelight sometimes and it was one of the many things she absolutely loved about him.

 

He hadn’t seen her yet so she stood back and watched him for a few minutes, noticing the way he fiddled with the corner of the page he was supposedly reading, but didn’t turn it. She could see the rigid tension in his shoulders. The anxiety on face his face. The distant look in his dark blue eyes. All the tell-tale signs were there and when he snapped his book shut and ran his fingers through his hair a second later, her heart just about broke in two at the sight, so she stepped towards him immediately.

 

“Juggie?”

 

He looked up when he heard her voice, but he wasn’t surprised to see her. In fact he looked utterly relieved, almost as if he’d been hoping that she would come and find him and she did most of the time - if she woke up.

 

“Hey Betts.” Jughead murmured quietly, the one corner of his mouth lifting to form an almost bittersweet smile. He looked at the floor then, turning the book over in his hands a few times before he placed it on the coffee with a sigh. Betty sat down beside him then and cuddled in closer, kissing his shoulder and wrapping her one arm around him in a comforting hug.

 

She studied him carefully for a long moment, trying to decide what to say or do next. She knew from past experiences like this that asking him a standard questions like “Are you okay?” or “What’s wrong?” would be pretty pointless so she went with the only logical option she had left.

 

“Do you want to talk about it?”

 

He took his time. Thinking about his answer and probably arguing with himself about it until he eventually closed his tired eyes and rubbed them with his thumb and forefinger. 

 

“I ... I just can’t stop thinking about that night ...” he whispered softly, lowering his head into his hands, “I keep hearing Penny’s voice in my head ... seeing the Ghoulies and their fists and ... I keep imagining how scared you must’ve been.”

 

He trailed off then and Betty didn’t press him to continue or ask him to give her more details, because she already knew exactly what he was referring to, having witnessed it herself. She simply nodded, gently running her hand over his back until the tension in his muscles finally started to dissipate a little. Jughead lifted his head back up then and looked at her, his eyes swimming with what she could easily identify as guilt.

 

“Betts, I know I’ve said this so many times before, but I’m really -“

 

But Betty shook her head and cupped his face with her hands, stopping him before he could finish.

 

“- And like I’ve said so many times before you don’t need to apologise anymore, Jug. I forgave you for that a long time ago, remember?”

 

Jughead conceded the point with a nod, but the bleak look in his eyes didn’t diminish like Betty hoped it would. She wasn’t terribly surprised though. It usually took a little more than some soft caresses and her reassurances to get him out of this kind of funk. Books, quiet places and her gentle words weren’t going to cut it tonight it seems. He needed more than just a simple distraction and desperately so.

 

That’s when she saw it, his stereo sitting on one of the nearby shelves and a sudden, but brilliant idea popped into her head when she spotted the aux cable that was still connected to it. With a bright smile, Betty leaned forward and kissed his cheek, telling him that she would be back in a minute before she hurried back to their bedroom and grabbed her phone off the bedside table.

 

When she came back, Jughead was exactly where she had left him on the couch, only now he was leaning back with his eyes closed and his head tilted up towards the ceiling. To anyone else, it probably would’ve looked like he had fallen asleep, but she knew better. She went over to the stereo and quickly plugged her phone in, scrolling through the list songs until she found the right one. Their one - the song that always worked - and pressed play.

 

Jughead opened his eyes as soon as he heard the song drifting on the air and all around them, the soft yet familiar melody drawing him in like it always did. With measured and careful steps, Betty made her way back to him, a soft smile forming on her lips when she came to a stop in front of him and held out her hand.

 

“Dance with me?” she said quietly.

 

He swallowed and something in his eyes shifted when he glanced at her outstretched hand and then back at her. He held her gaze for a moment, a hint of a smile playing on his lips, before he finally reached out and took it.

 

Betty kept her eyes locked with his as she pulled Jughead away from the couch and wrapped her arms around his neck, her steady pulse already starting to quicken when he placed his hands on her hips and slipped his fingers under the t-shirt she was wearing just a little. She pressed herself closer to him then and he leaned into her in response, resting his forehead against hers as they both closed their eyes and swayed to music together.

 

_No other love_

_Mama, I'm flyin'_

_No other love_

_Mama, I'm flyin_

She breathed him in and traced the line of his jaw with the tips of her fingers, bringing him in so that he could press his mouth to hers in a sound, but gentle kiss. They pulled apart slowly, their lips clinging for a second longer - as if in protest - and he slipped his one arm around her waist properly then, pulling her flush against him while he trailed his mouth over her supple skin from the curve of her lips all the way down to the base of her neck.

_I can go_  


_I can go anywhere_

_No other love_

_Can take me there, ooh_

 

Jughead mouthed the words of the song against her throat, his warm breath tickling her skin as he kissed and brushed his lips along the slope of her neck and then down to her shoulder, leaving another kiss there when he arrived. She shivered in his arms and turned her face into his neck, smiling warmly when she felt his hands glide under her shirt even more and smooth over her back. He smelt incredible, like an familiar mix of soap and some kind of spice that she absolutely adored and she couldn’t help but inhale the wonderful scent again, relishing in it.

 

She slipped her delicate fingers into the hair on the back on his head then, pressing and massaging the tips of them into his skin gently - trying to ease his worries and his pain away. It took a moment to work, but she could already feel his body starting to relax. His anxiety from before vanishing with every second that passed between them, bringing her a tremendous amount of comfort and relief in return.

 

_No other love_

_Mama, I’m flyin_

_No other love_

_Mama I’m flyin_

 

_I can go_

_I can go anywhere_

_No other love_

_Can take me there, ooh_

Even with her eyes closed, she could imagine them both clearly in her mind. She could see the strong, yet intimate way they were holding onto each other now. The way they moved together so steadily and so effortlessly. The way she must’ve looked bathed in the candlelight all around them when he twirled her during certain moments of the song and the radiant smile that graced her lips when he’d whispered how beautiful she was and how, being here with her, made him feel like he had stumbled into a dream.

 

_Mama, I’m flyin_

_Mama, I’m flyin_

 

Betty’s eyes flew open when the rhythm of the song suddenly picked up and Jughead dipped her, both of them bursting out into wild, fits of laughter when he almost slipped and sent them both tumbling down onto the floor. She threw her arms around his neck immediately and held on for dear life, a wave of pure happiness washing over every inch of her soul and body when she saw the massive grin on his face and the utter delight shining in his eyes now. It was the outcome that she had been hoping for. A distraction that actually helped him forget. One she was confident to say had never failed her yet.

 

_I can go_

_I can go anywhere_

_No other love_

_Can take me there, ooh_

Jughead recovered quickly after that, straightening up and hoisting her back up against him like nothing had happened a minute ago. Betty could help but giggle again, placing a long, sweet kiss on his still smiling mouth before she draped her one arm over his shoulder again and cuddled back into him. 

 

“Sorry,” he chuckled softly, smiling against her ear now, “Guess I got a little carried away back there. You okay?”

 

Betty simply nodded, resisting the odd urge she had to ask him to do that again. She loved hearing him laugh, almost as much as she loved seeing him smile, and she was more than prepared to do whatever she could to make him feel that way. That was all she wanted, for him to be content in his life. When his fingers found and then threaded with hers, she grinned against the dip of his collar bone, letting herself get lost in him for a moment or two.

 

_No other love_

_Mama, I’m flyin_

_No other love_

“Thank you.” Jughead whispered, sounding a lot more at ease with himself than he had before. 

 

Betty nodded again and kissed his skin lightly. “Are you feeling a little better now?”

 

He nodded as well and when he kissed her temple, Betty knew that he meant it. He was okay now or he was better than he had been before at the very least, and she couldn’t help but smile triumphantly at the thought, thrilled to the bone that she had achieved her overall goal.

 

She pulled back to look at him, taking in his almost heartbreakingly handsome features for a moment, before she lifted herself up just enough so that she could settle her mouth over his once again, kissing him slowly and with all the love she had for him in the world, swallowing his soft murmur of approval when the kiss inevitably deepened and he tightened his arms around her.

 

“You’re welcome.” Betty whispered back when they eventually pulled apart, the two of them chucking and dancing on until the remnants of the song finally played out and faded around them.

 

~

 

Given the success of her plan, Betty managed to convince Jughead to come back to bed without a hint of trouble, and it wasn’t long until they were under the covers once again with her arms wrapped around him and his head nestled into her chest.

She combed her fingers through his soft head of hair gently - a tried and tested method she had often used both past and present to help him fall asleep again, and thankfully it seemed to be working just as well as it usually did.

 

She was absolutely certain that he was alright now, but making sure he actually stayed that way was just as important if not more. It wasn’t always necessary, but she could tell that after tonight’s spell he needed all the care and comfort she could give him. She could also tell that there was still something playing on his mind and it wasn’t easy for her to restrain herself and not ask him out right what it was.

 

She knew that he would tell her in his own time and in his own way. He always did.

 

She scraped her nails over his scalp lightly then, smiling to herself and rolling her eyes when she heard him groan softly into the material of her shirt seconds later.

 

“Go to sleep, Juggie.” Betty cooed, trying to sound as convincing as possible. She pressed a tender kiss to his forehead then and he shifted in return, snuggling into her just a little bit more than he already was. When he did say something, his response was soft and muffled, but she guessed he said something along the lines of; ‘In a minute, Betts’ - that teasing tone of his unmistakable no matter what.

 

She giggled and started playing with his hair again, wondering idly if this would be a good time to ask him if there was still something he wanted to get off his chest. Even though she was against pressing him to share his thoughts or to talk about his feelings before he was ready - a part of her just couldn’t seem to relax without knowing what it was that was still bothering him.

 

It would be the first time in long time since she had done this, but it couldn’t hurt to try, right?

 

“Jug?” she paused immediately, gritting her teeth when she noticed how pathetically soft and uncertain her voice sounded which was the exact opposite of what she was trying to go for. She closed her eyes and mentally kicked herself, silently hoping that he was fast asleep and hadn’t heard a thing.

 

Naturally, there was no way she would be that lucky.

 

“Yeah?” he mumbled quietly, turning his face a little so that he could speak properly.

 

Betty gnawed on her bottom lip, clearly stressed out over what to do next. It was a complicated situation, given that a part of her didn’t was deeply worried and wanted to help him, but another part of her kept on reminding her that bringing this up now could possibly undo everything she’d already helped him forget tonight.

 

Would that really be worth the risk?

 

“You alright?” Jughead asked when she didn’t say anything, mild concern lacing his voice now.

 

“Yeah, I’m ... I’m fine,” she stopped, swallowing a little and summing up the courage to carry on, “Are you ... fine I mean?”

 

“Yeah,” he said almost casually, “Well I mean, I’m definitely better than I was before if that’s what you’re asking.”

 

“Oh ... So there isn’t something on your mind still or anything like that?”

 

Betty held her breath when Jughead didn’t say anything, convinced that she had in fact ruined everything their dance and moment together earlier had achieved until he sighed softly and kissed the skin beneath her collar bone.

 

“Remember earlier, when I said that I couldn’t get ... that night out of my head?” she nodded slightly and ran her fingers through his hair again, encouraging him to keep going. He took a deep, steadying breath then, probably trying to expel the uncertainty she’d just heard in his voice before he tried to speak again, “Well, I wasn’t just thinking about the things that I said I was.”

 

“Oh,” she said softly, drawing the word out a little, “What else were you thinking about?”

 

“How close I came to losing you and how that scared the shit out of me, for a start.” he sighed heavily and pushed himself up into a sitting position then, “And I know we’ve talked about what happened that night - how I could’ve died and how stupid it was, but what I didn’t tell you was that I hought I was still going to lose you even though you’d already forgiven me.”

 

Betty frowned and sat up as well, squinting her eyes when she peered at him through the darkness, trying to read the expression on his face.

 

“Jug, what on earth made you think you were going to lose me? I mean, sure I was angry at you back when it happened and rightly so, but I never would’ve left you.”

 

“I know,” Jughead murmured, avoiding her eyes in a way that indicated how ashamed he was for thinking that, “I guess at the time I thought I might’ve gone a step too far and, to be honest, whenever I have nights like these I’m terrified that it might be the night when the other shoe drops and you decide that you’ve had enough of this.”

 

When he looked at her, Betty could clearly see the fear in eyes even in the poor light and it occurred to her then that a part of him, no matter how small, believed that what he had just said could actually happen one day. That she would get sick of him. That she would actually leave him. It didn’t offend her though, because in a way his worries, while completely ridiculous to her, weren’t exactly misplaced, especially given the way she had reacted to the whole incident back then.

 

Seeing Jughead covered in blood and beaten to within an inch of his life, was easily the most horrific sight Betty had ever seen. For a second there she’d convinced herself that he was really dead and that he was never coming back until he’d woken up in hospital a couple of days later, alive and on the slow road to recovery. She had been so happy, so relieved at first until he revealed to her that, like a lamb to a slaughter, he had gone to Penny and her gang of Ghoulies on purpose.

 

Naturally she’d gotten mad, unable to understand how he could choose to do something so reckless without thinking about the people he would be leaving behind.

 

She didn’t speak to him for two days, taking some time to cool down before she went back to him, apologetic and ready to hear him out liked he’d begged her to do in the first place. Of course, when he explained that his actions that night had been a sacrifice to protect her and the rest of Riverdale from harm, she immediately felt guilty and forgave him on the spot.

 

Three years later, it hurt her deeply to see him struggle with something that he didn’t need to struggle with and she was determined, now more than ever, to reassure him that he had nothing to be worried or insecure about.

 

She smiled at him affectionately then and reached for his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze when she took it.

 

“Juggie, you know that will never happen. We escaped that life and that town for a reason, remember? So that we could be together on our own terms,” she cupped his cheek with her hand and Jughead closed his eyes when she did, sighing and leaning into her touch, “You weren’t a Serpent by choice and everything you did as one doesn’t matter, certainly not a enough for you to ever think you’ll lose me. I didn’t leave you back then and I promise I won’t leave you now, okay?”

 

When he didn’t say anything and kept his eyes averted, Betty nudged his chin gently, prompting him to look at her and when he did, she smiled crookedly when she saw the newfound comfort and stark belief in his eyes now.

 

“Okay.” he said with a confident nod, giving her the obvious and distinct impression that he did believe her. He settled his hands on either side of her neck then and when he leaned in, she met him half way, connecting their lips in a sound and love filled kiss.

 

“You have no idea how much I love you, Betty Cooper.” he said softly and when they pulled apart, placing another quick kiss on her mouth when she grinned.

 

“Oh I think I have a pretty good idea,” she with a giggle, “That being said, I don’t think you know how much I love you.”

 

“Well if I didn’t before for whatever reason, I definitely do now.” he murmured, kissing her again.

 

Afterwards, Betty helped Jughead slip back under the covers and in no time at all they were back where they had started, curled into each other again with her fingers in his hair, gently stroking like they had been before.

 

She pressed kiss after gentle kiss to his forehead, whispering how much she loved him over and over again until he closed his eyes and she lulled him back to sleep once again. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> I’d loved to know your thoughts so leave a comment if you’d like!!! Xx 
> 
> Song featured: No Other Love by Chuck Prophet.


End file.
